Of Course It's Fate
by graceful.nyxx
Summary: The short beginning of a new relationship. First of Ship Til You Drop Challenge stories.


AN : This is a one-shot for CheekySlytherinLass's Ship Til You Drop Challenge. The first of many. Enjoy.

Discalimer : I own nothing of the Harry Potter franchise, this is just some random thought that found its way into my thoughts after seeing two names.

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Leanne never dreamed that she would come into a creature inheritance. Especially a registered Dark Creature.

A late bloomer as she'd been with everything else, the naturally tan girl was almost 19 when her creature blood was awoken. Elvish blood had flowed through many generations of her family, diluted until it became a mere bedtime story her house elf used to tell her. They were classified as dark because of their violent reactions to anything they perceived as disrespectful or intimidating in any way.

After the defeat of Lord Voldemort, many had gone back to Hogwarts the next year to redo the previous school year - Leanne wasn't one of them. The dark eyed girl had gone to the International Wizarding Confederation station that was in France and took their equivalent of the NEWTs, only it had more in depth, harder material than England's NEWTs. She'd past with A's, and O's on all of the subjects she'd tested for, except in Arithmancy, Potions, and Ancient Runes, in which she got EE's, paving a way to her wanted career of Warding Mastery. She'd started to work at Gringotts in an apprenticeship with Warder Nocto Reiling as her teacher and master.

Then she'd come into her inheritance.

Sighing, the Indian-British girl got up from where she was moping on her living room couch in her new flat that was located 2 blocks from the Leaky Cauldron. Sitting around and doing nothing was driving her crazy. With a quick change from her wizarding clothes into her muggle ones, Leanne left the comfort of her one bedroom flat and traded it for the chill of the autumn winds that promised winter was just around the bend.

After some recreational shopping in a nearby shopping center, Leanne was getting hungry and was thinking of where to have dinner when she smelt the most heavenly of scents. She couldn't describe it - it was like all of her favorite scents of sandalwood, chocolate, a cuppa fresh brewed coffee, all rolled into one delicious bundle. Instantly and almost unconsciously, the long haired girl tracked down the scent that was coming from only three stores away, at a small cafe.

There Leanne found him - sandy blond hair that fell around a strong face, dark blue eyes reading over a book that was held in large hands. The first thought Leanne had was 'He looks better than he did in Hogwarts,' which caused her to realize that she did know the person who contained that tantalizing scent. It was Ernest 'Ernie' MacMillan, of her own house of Hufflepuff. He'd been friends with Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchy of their house, while she'd only had one real friend, Katie Bell, so they'd only vaguely crossed paths in Dumbledore's Army.

Realizing she'd stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, Leanne went to move when she saw MacMillan's head snap up and look in her general direction, before his blue eyes met her dark brown. She saw him suck in a breath of shock, him subtly smell the air again, and then his eyes flash red before he got up from his table, leaving his tea and book at the table to stalk towards her. She stood frozen, mesmerized by him, everything about him - sight, smell, and touch, when he reached down and took her hand in his, the contrast of her tan skin to his cream complexion more enticing than it should have been.

Bowing lightly over her captured hand, MacMillan ghosted his lips over the back of it in a faux kiss, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Hullo, my name is Ernest MacMillan, and you may call me Ernie. And what would your name be?" he questioned smoothly as he tugged her gently toward his vacated table, pulling out the chair opposite him for her while she informed him, "I'm Leanne Barnes, call me Leanne - we actually went to Hogwarts together, same year and house in fact."

That gave him pause as he sat down, tilting his head as he stared at her intently, trying to place her then - "Oh! You were friends with that Gryff, Bell, right? And you were Hannah's roommate too."

"Yup that was me. . . so, what does a vampire drink at a muggle cafe?" was murmured as she looked at him under her lashes. He smirked brightly and answered truthfully, "Rosebud tea. But I'm only here because something told me that I needed to be here today - fate, as it would seem."

"Well, of course its fate," Leanne made eye contact with him again as she said, "After all, it's not everyday one meets their soulmate."


End file.
